Why the 49ers could wait until Round 5 to draft a wide receiver

Most NFL pundits expect the 49ers to draft a wide receiver with one of their two first-round picks, but the 49ers might surprise people and wait until Round 5.

Most pundits expect the 49ers to take a wide receiver with one of their two first-round draft picks this year.

Those pundits might be wrong.

They mostly say the 49ers will take Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb with the 13th pick. But Jeudy might not be available -- the Jaguars could take him with the ninth pick. And Lamb might not be available -- the Raiders could take him with the 12th pick. And head coach Kyle Shanahan might not want to take a wide receiver in the first round regardless of who’s available. He might want to wait until Round 5. The 49ers own no picks in round 2, 3 or 4.

Here are five things to know about the 49ers search for a pass catcher.

1. The NFL most likely will cancel OTAs and minicamp, meaning rookie wide receivers will have less meeting time and practice time to learn the offensive scheme than usual. Shanahan has one of the most complex offensive schemes in the NFL, so even a first-round pick may not be ready to start right away this year.

2. Kendrick Bourne played well last season, and Jimmy Garoppolo trusts him. Garoppolo’s quarterback rating when targeting Bourne last season was a whopping 113.7. A rookie will have to fight to take Bourne’s job, and Bourne won’t go down easily.

3. The 49ers already have eight wide receivers whom Shanahan hand-picked, and many of them are young: Bourne, Deebo Samuel, Trent Taylor, Jalen Hurd, Marquise Goodwin, Travis Benjamin, Richie James Jr. and Dante Pettis. Has Shanahan given up on most of them already? Doubtful.

4. This year’s class of wide receivers is historically deep. Future starters will come off the board as late as Round 5.

5. 49ers general manager John Lynch owns Round 5. Since 2017, he has taken Taylor, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Dre Greenlaw in that round.

Don’t be surprised if the 49ers wait patiently until Round 5 to take a wide receiver, someone to complement and compete with the current group, not overshadow it.

Someone like Boise State wide receiver John Hightower. He’s 6’1”, he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and a 4.21 short shuttle at the Combine, so he’s tall, fast and agile. In two seasons at Boise State, he scored 17 touchdowns, averaged 17.6 yards per catch, 13.2 yards per carry and 23.2 yards per kick return. He’s the kind of versatile wide receiver Shanahan loves, and most years he’d be a second- or third-round pick.

This year, the 49ers can draft Hightower in Round 5. Get to know him.